The Good:

Did you ever go to a doctor and have an excellent experience, even though you felt miserable? The office staff and doctor were friendly (but not overkill friendly), you felt like they cared about you and your problem you were there for, and you got the care you needed in a timely manner? How did that make you feel?

The Bad:

Now - consider a time when you went to a doctor, and you got the impression you were just another number - another person that they HAD to deal with to get through the day. And perhaps you got the treatment you needed (or maybe you didn't!), but you just felt like you weren't wanted or needed. You felt like they had other better things to do than take care of you. Or maybe it was worse than that! How did THAT make you feel?

The Ugly:

When you had that bad experience, did you vow that you weren't ever going back to that professional? Did you also promise you were going to tell all your friends? How about posting a review for them - did you consider doing that? Yes, it can get REALLY UGLY when a person has a bad experience with a professional!

You can be the best esthetician in the world, but if people don't like YOU and don't ENJOY their experience with YOU, they will NOT come back. This is where tableside manner matters!

Everything you do and say is under a microscope when dealing with clients. Not that you should THINK of it that way when you're providing the service, BUT you must consider how you treat your clients WILL determine whether they come back.

Tableside Manners - What NOT to Do (and What TO DO Instead!)

Here are five reasons why tableside manner matters and what to consider when treating clients:

1) If your client doesn't feel comfortable with you, they will be on edge about the service. Can you think back to a time that happened? How did you make it better, or could you have? Here's the trick - relax! If you are enjoying yourself, there's a greater possibility your clients are enjoying themselves! Don't go too off the wall - enjoying yourself doesn't mean talking about yourself the whole time, right?

2) If you scare your clients, they will be afraid to return. Be sure always to tell (especially new) clients what you are about to do so they aren't surprised or become afraid, especially when something you're about to do could be somewhat painful. Ask them if they'd like you to be more informative about what you're doing or less. Tailor the service to that person.

3) If you are too serious when servicing your clients, your clients will think you are too serious and will not be as happy. Put a smile on your face at times - be happy and appreciative for your clients being there. Find something in your day to be grateful for and put negative thoughts aside while servicing clients. This is important. This way, you can put a genuine smile on your face, which will put a smile on your client's face. It's contagious!!

4) Asking questions, discussing things that are considered too personal, or gossiping about things you should know better than not, are a turn-off to many people. Always play it safe. Know when to talk and when not to, and what to talk about and what not to. Do NOT discuss politics or religion unless you know the client well and are 100% positive you know, understand, and accept their beliefs. They're open to conversation about it. Politics and religion typically don't belong in business discussions, though.

5) If your clients don't feel appreciated, they won't return. Be sure to always thank your clients more than once. Don't ever be fake in your appreciative comments to them because that will easily poke through your words. You could put out a wrapped candy bowl or some treat as a going away thank you for clients. Everyone loves a freebie, no matter how small.

I hope this helps you become more familiar with understanding better what clients expect from your tableside manners when they come for a service! Let us know if we can answer any questions for you by emailing us at info@honeycombwaxco.com.